Lady Gaga blasted from speakers while protesters waved “No Kings But Yas Queen” signs from a packed Copley Square. Vibrant rainbow colors from flags, parkas, feather boas and umbrellas shone through the drab, rainy weather as people gathered to both protest President Donald Trump and celebrate LGBTQ+ existence on June 14.  

Millions of people protested nationwide over the weekend as part of the “No Kings” movement against the Trump administration, honing in on recent mass deportations and attacks on transgender people. Boston Pride joined forces with the city’s “No Kings” demonstration, merging two seemingly opposing concepts: celebration and protest. 

Tens of thousands took to the streets for “No Kings Day” and the Pride march. Afterward, an estimated one million people descended into Boston Common for a Pride Festival, and the celebration of LGBTQ+ love took center stage. 

Mass 50501 and the Indivisible Mass Coalition sponsored the protest, which partnered with Boston Pride for the People. The parade began outside Trinity Church in Copley Square, then headed toward Boston Common for the Pride festival with live music and vendor booths. A 21+ block party occurred at Boston City Hall from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., and pop-up drag and music performances at venues such as Uncommon Stage and Summer Street Plaza were held throughout the city.

Though anger and disappointment toward Trump were evident throughout the day, joy and hope were just as prevalent at citywide celebrations and demonstrations. 

“[The Trump administration] wants us to think that hope and resistance and protest are useless endeavors,” said Jeffrey Franchetti, a third-year Northeastern student studying politics, philosophy, and economics. “That only benefits the people who can hurt us.”

Franchetti is also the lead outreach supervisor of the Educational Freedom Project, or EFP,  a student organization defending the principles of higher education. Franchetti brought together a group of students from across the Boston area to attend the protest, and they wielded signs reading “Trump is no king. Students are no pawns.” 

Despite their nerves surrounding attending a protest and the overcast weather, Franchetti and other EFP members were full of laughter and energy. “[Protest] means something if it’s scary. It feels as though I have found meaning,” Franchetti said.

Many protesters, including Neila St. Jean, a second-year civil engineering major at Northeastern, expressed finding solace in their ability to speak out against Trump. After DEI-oriented programs at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, or NJIT, were terminated, St. Jean’s friend had her scholarship and internship revoked.

“In the future, I don’t want to be that person who’s complacent,” St. Jean said. “I know it’s very cliche, but I don’t want to think back and be like, ‘Well, what did I do?’”

Amid the throngs of young protesters holding signs, chanting, dancing and supporting Boston Pride, many Gen X and Baby Boomers matched their enthusiasm for resistance. 

Sean Sullivan, a 64-year-old retired civil engineer, expressed his distaste for what he views as Trump’s attacks on U.S. democracy and violations of fundamental rights, such as the freedom of speech.

“I stand for everything in the Declaration of Independence,” Sullivan said. His wife, Sharon Sullivan, a 58-year-old architecture designer, joked about stumbling upon Sean Sullivan reading the Declaration of Independence from start to finish the night before.

Sharon Sullivan held a sign that read, “Boston knows something about standing up to kings, even self-appointed ones!!!” As a mother with a gay son, she shared that the intersection of the “No Kings Day” protest with Boston Pride was deeply meaningful.

“I stand for humanity. We all got here the same way,” she said.

Although the pair is fearful of the recent attacks on LGBTQ+ communities and what they view as the Trump administration’s breach of constitutional rights, they were quick to laugh and match the overwhelming positivity filling Copley Square and the entire city. 

Sharon Sullivan added, “What is protesting if not dancing and celebrating joy?”